Wandering With
Wandering With
Yasmin Saoirse
Shrek the Musical
Princess Fiona is Brat Summer here in London. At least until 31st August at The Hammersmith Apollo💚✨
Full disclosure. I have now seen this production twice. Once on opening night; Friday 19th July where my tickets were £55 each. And then again on Friday 26th July where my tickets were £65 each. I feel confident in fairly reviewing this show. This also means I have been lucky enough to see both Brandon Lee Sears’ & Todrick Hall’s Asses, … I mean Donkeys… right…
Shrek the Musical is for everyone looking for a place to let their freak flag fly. This tale of love, liberation, and friendship stays as true as true loves first kiss to the original concept, with a bit of artistic licence here and there 💅🏻.
For this show the highly skilled cast make this rendition of Shrek the Musical the SHREKCELLENT experience that it is.
Antony Lawrence’s Shrek is grotesque, grumpy and loveable. Which probably tells you all you need to know about my dating life… from his first note on stage he embodies the character of Shrek. Giving us everything, even from within what I am assuming isn’t the most comfortable costume he’s ever worn.
Joanne Clifton brings Princess Fiona to life with her incredible vocals and stage presence. It’s impossible not to fall instantly in love with her.
Donkey! Will always be my favourite character in Shrek. As a late diagnosed AuADHD’er it would be absurd to deny how much I personally identify with this character. Both Brandon Lee Sears & Todrick Hall do justice to our boy and bring their own incarnations of Donkey to the Hammersmith Apollo. Sears’ incredible vocals and natural comedic timing really brought Donkey to life for me. Hall’s physicality and vocals are spot on for the character in my opinion. I wouldn’t dare compare them. You are blessed with the presence of greatness whom ever you are lucky enough to see in this iconic role.
And whilst men of Lord Farquaad’s stature are in short supply… I am so thankful this production were able to find James Gillan to bring this character to life. Despite being the villain of the piece, he was one of my favourites by far. Not just for his embodiment of Lord Farquaad. But his fantastic vocal and comedic skill.
Cherece Richards. As the dragon. I only have one word. Wow. She is amazing. I cannot wait to see everything else she is in.
This cast work hard. And that is really appreciated & recognised by the fans of Shrek.
And whilst I have to agree with some of my fellow reviewers. This production isn’t without it's… complexities. It is clear they have attempted to cut costs where possible, and in some cases, where they really shouldn’t have.
A lot of edits have also been made to the script and songs. With many of the numbers now a fraction of the length they were in the original production. Some problematic lyrics & characterisations have been exchanged for updated alternatives, yet others left. Or switched out for uh, even more problematic material. What was that Baby Reindeer comparison Donkey made? And can we maybe not still use a mental health condition as a comedic aid for Fiona’s outbursts? If you’re going to update parts, update all.
It still very much carries the spirit of the show 17 year old Yasmin fell in love with. I still identify with many of the characters, problematic as they are, that’s why I love it.
I hope to see this show at least one more time before it closes 💚✨
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